3

Being born in the galut, I'm not well acquainted with the laws of tithing. However, I'll need to spend some time in Israel, therefore I started to read about it. As OU's guide says, one should wrap and discard terumah gedolah and terumat maaser, many say that plastic should be used to wrap it.

As all my grandparents were Holocaust survivors, I have concerns about discarding food in general, but this plastic wrapping is quite a polluting practice. How was it done in the old days? For example, the separated challah was put in the fire of the oven, but we're using electric ones now. Are there any other, more environmentally friendly ways to fulfil this important mitzvah?

Double AA
  • 98,894
  • 6
  • 250
  • 713
Kazi bácsi
  • 7,609
  • 4
  • 23
  • 51
  • 4
    Are you particularly set on separating terumah yourself? Depending on where in Israel you are going to be, it may be more common to buy produce that has already had it separated. (And some of that is already done in a more environmentally friendly way; see for instance the feeding of terumah to the Kohen-owned animals at the Biblical Zoo.) – Rish Oct 17 '18 at 12:12
  • @Rish In most supermarkets I haven't seen certificates for example. But I'm thinking about similar practices that you mention. – Kazi bácsi Oct 17 '18 at 12:17
  • What you do with Terumah (if you aren't giving it to a Kohen) is let it sit and rot, at which point it no longer has holiness. Throwing it out in plastic is just a way to let it rot in peace and not on your counter. – Double AA Oct 17 '18 at 12:25
  • 3
    @Kazibácsi Why does the end of your first paragraph say "many say that plastic should be used" rather than "this Star-K guide says that plastic should be used"? Have you seen a recommendation or requirement for plastic from many sources? The OU guide that you link to, by contrast, says to wrap but doesn't specify plastic. I know this sounds like picking nits, but the central issue in this question is the perceived requirement to wrap in plastic in particular, so it's important to establish clearly your basis for understanding that this is a requirement. – Isaac Moses Oct 17 '18 at 14:43
  • @Isaac On the Internet there are quite many articles I've seen that recommend plastic (even on MY there's one that suggests plastic besides paper). My problem that the wrap creates waste, and if it's plastic it's even worse. I'm looking for similar solutions as the one in a comment. – Kazi bácsi Oct 17 '18 at 15:02
  • 1
    Disposal of tithes is not an important Mitzva, at least not any more than eating an apple is the important Mitzva of not eating pork. – Double AA Oct 17 '18 at 15:31
  • 1
    The first of your three surces in the question specifically says either burial or putting in a plastic bag. Your second source is about generic disposal of holy items, and the MY question you linked explicitly mentions wrapping with paper. Are you looking for something different? – Salmononius2 Oct 17 '18 at 15:33
  • @Salmo In a flat I can't really rot or bury items. Paper is slightly better, but still wasting. Shall I find a kohen as well? Shall a compost bin in a condominium be designated? – Kazi bácsi Oct 17 '18 at 15:52
  • @Kazibácsi Sure, why not give it to a kohen or designate a compost bin? You asked for an environmentally friendly way to dispose of tithes. Paper/burying/compost bin, etc are all environmentally friendly. If you want to know about 'easy' or less 'wasteful' ways of taking tithes, isn't that a different question? – Salmononius2 Oct 17 '18 at 16:12
  • 1
    You can't put it in a full compost bin. @sal You could have multiple small bins, one for each day, that you cycle once the contents have rotted beyond edibility. Seems like a lot of effort for a rare and small problem. One meal with disposable plastic cups probably wastes more than wrapping all the Terumah you have to dispose of over the year. – Double AA Oct 17 '18 at 16:20
  • 1
    There is biodegradable corn-based plastic. – chacham Nisan Oct 17 '18 at 23:51

0 Answers0